Long taper and fitness preservation

Training
1

I have 19 days until an 85 mile climbing event. I went and rode the climbs of that event this week while on my recovery week and had a few PRs on some of the segments. I just finished a training block and don’t feel like I should start another with that much time left. what’s the best way to preserve the fitness I have and maybe gain a little endurance between now and then? I don’t want to detrain, but also don’t want to over train so that I can go into the event well rested and primed. If I just stick to endurance workouts, will I lose top end power? Should I combine short VO2 max workouts with longer endurance segments into a single workout?

Thanks for any advice.

2

Maintain intensity but decrease volume. If you ride long, it needs to be easy.

You could do the last two or three weeks of the Climbing Road Race or Century plans, as examples, or pull workouts from there. A two-plus week taper isn’t uncommon at all.